Double Dunlop win in EWC season finale

• First-ever win for BMW in FIM Endurance World Championship
• No Limits Motor Team dominates the Superstock class 

The FIM Endurance World Championship’s first-ever visit to Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic produced an enthralling six-hour battle that saw Dunlop teams win both classes. 

At the start, Ilya Mikhalchik (BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team) was the rider on the move. By the 20 minute mark, Mikhalchik had risen from fourth to lead in a stunning charge, with Gino Rea (Wojik Racing Team Yamaha) following in his tyre tracks. Rea made it a Dunlop one-two with a confident move under braking. Much of the thrilling opening hour saw just four seconds covering the top five. 

With such a close battle, marginal gains were crucial. Mikhalchik handed the BMW M1000RR to Markus Reiterberger. He was able to gain a huge 1.8 sec on his out lap. Dunlop’s tyres use Heat Control Technology with an advanced tread architecture using different cap (outer) and base (lower) compounds and it was clear that the rapid warm-up characteristics on a cool autumn day were helping build an advantage after each tyre change. Along with team-mate, Kenny Foray, the BMW trio was able to build on the lead to take a thrilling win.

This was a historic result for BMW. It was their first win in the FIM Endurance World Championship. Dunlop has a lot of experience with the M1000RR, with wins in road racing. In August, Reiterberger and Foray took victory in the non-championship Spa 6h on Dunlop’s own test bike.

Webike SRC Kawasaki France Trickstar ran strongly in the top four throughout most of the six hours. Their result proved the versatility of the Dunlop range with the Kawasaki ZX-10R joining the BMW M1000RR and Yamaha R1 as Dunlop-equipped bikes in the top four of the championship.

A heroic season for VRD Igol Experiences ended in disappointment with mechanical problems. The independent team had entered the final round in overall championship contention. Despite the engine being unable to run, Florian Alt was cheered by the fans in attempting to complete the race by trying to push the Yamaha to the finish line. 

In the near-standard Superstock class, No Limits Motor Team had a strong run. Their Suzuki GSX-R with Luca Scassa, Alexis Masbou and Kevin Calia dominated the class and also won the Dunlop Independent Trophy category. The Yamaha of TME Racing Yamaha and the Energie Endurance Kawasaki completed the top three, making it a 100% Dunlop Superstock podium with three different bike models.

David Auerbacher, Dunlop Event Leader, said: “It’s brilliant to conclude a packed EWC season with a double win. BMW Motorrad has performed strongly all year and deserves their inaugural win. In Superstock, No Limits had a perfectly executed race. We used standard Dunlop KR slicks and were pleased to contribute to the wins with a consistent, durable, performing product range that was very suited to the demanding Most circuit.”